A Rhode Island man faces several charges related to Franklin road rage incident

Dan O'Brien, The Milford Daily News
·1 min read

FRANKLIN — A Rhode Island man faces charges related to an incident last Friday in which police say he fired several shots from his vehicle at another vehicle and struck a third while on Washington Street.

In a press release, police in Cranston, Rhode Island, said that on Monday they teamed with Franklin police to arrest Michael Sylvester, 43, of Cranston, on a warrant stemming from last Friday's road rage incident.

According to Cranston police, a motorist told Franklin detectives that just after 5 p.m. Friday, he made an abrupt turn in front of a "dark-colored late-model Honda" on Washington Street, near the Bellingham line. He reported that the Honda sped up behind him, and that its driver fired "multiple shots" from the driver's side window, striking the complaining motorist's vehicle.

Police said a third vehicle that was passing by was also struck by gunfire from the Honda.

No one was injured. The incident was initially reported to Bellingham police, but it was later determined to have occurred in Franklin.

In the release, police said a search of Sylvester’s residence resulted in the seizure of four firearms, ammunition and several marijuana plants.

Cranston police said they are charging Sylvester with being a fugitive from justice and possessing a prohibited large capacity feeding device, the latter charge resulting from the discovery of the marijuana plants.

In addition, the warrant from Franklin indicates Sylvester faces the following charges:

  • carrying a loaded firearm without a license;

  • possession of ammunition without an FID card;

  • discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building (two counts);

  • assault with a dangerous weapon (seven counts);

  • assault to murder-armed;

  • malicious destruction of property worth over $1,200 (three counts).

He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Rhode Island man charged in Franklin road rage shooting incident